ruffles
by Attraversiamo
Summary: Companion piece to chapter 10 of Ashes. Mostly Rodolphus' viewpoint. What happens after Rodolphus claims he can see her undergarments reflected in her shoes.
1. Chapter 1

He longed to grab the ribbon right out of her hair, or pull one of the curls that had fallen across her shoulder. That would grab her attention for sure. But with his parents nearby, he'd be dragged back home immediately. There were ways one had to behave in public, his mother kept reminding him. He did not really see how this counted as public, he'd been here loads of times.

At least Rosier had saved him from making a ludicrous statement. He had been planning to tell her she looked like a girl today. She had given Rosier a look that clearly expressed how moronic that statement was. He was going to get something better than that. She'd be impressed with him.

"I can see your panties."

He couldn't. But he knew enough about girls undergarments from flipping skirts to make a good guess about what she would be wearing to her birthday party. Guests of honor wore fancy things.

She gave him a look too. Not the same one she gave to Rosier, although still a look that said she was better than he was (they'd see about that). But she did not answer his question which meant there was a very good chance he was right. They'd see about that too.

The look on her face was worth the foot stomping she gave him. One of the shiny shoes he claimed he could see her undergarments reflected on coming down _hard_ on his instep. Not that it actually hurt. She was a _girl _after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Flipping skirts was something that kept him from getting insanely bored. Parties held by girls were generally boring. Adults went off someplace to do whatever they did and everyone around his age was scuttled into a room, or a set of rooms and left to their own devices. House elves would walk around, offering snacks and drinks, and trying to get everyone involved in games, but generally the girls went off and did their own thing and so did the boys. Which made a party basically the same as any day he went over to anyone's house that was not his own, the only difference was that he was wearing fancier robes.

Everyone wore fancier things. Which was why he had gotten into the practice of flipping up girls skirts. There were more girls, number one, and more people in which to blend in and hide and generally not get blamed for the havoc. It depended highly on whether people were wandering around or not. If everyone just sat in groups then nothing got done.

The reason he liked flipping skirts had nothing to do with wanting to see what was under girl's skirts. It was pretty much all the same. One set of panties, twenty sets of panties, it was all the same. No, it had everything to do with the indignant screams of alarm when he was successful. As long as he got away with it. If a girl figured out who had done it, and informed any adult, his parents would not be thrilled and it was far more interesting to be here with people than be at home.

Today he had to be extra careful, because he had a mission. He'd promised Bellatrix Black that they would find out if he was right about her underwear and he had every intention of doing so. However, because she was both forewarned, and the birthday girl, it was going to be more difficult than his everyday flipping. It had to be high enough to actually show off what was under her skirt, and for him to get a good look and for her to know he got a good look. Otherwise she'd continue to call him a liar. She was irritating like that. Super definite proof was always needed when dealing with her.

Not to mention the danger of her hitting back. Other girls just shrieked but Bellatrix was unpredictable. She'd stomped on his foot in a receiving line! In front of her parents! She'd certainly hit back if she had the opportunity. He was going to have to be on constant lookout for the perfect opportunity. Either that or he was going to have to wrestle her to the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

He had been worried he would not get the opportunity at all. Bellatrix had been watching him like a hawk. Every time he looked over at her, she was staring at him, practically daring him to walk over there and do it. Every time he didn't she gave him a smug little look. He was going to wipe that look off her face. He was going to get the upper hand. He was going to show her.

When the opportunity presented itself, of course he was going to take it. Flip her skirt up and prove he had been right all along. He was sure he was right, that she was wearing ruffled underwear, but it was important that she knew he knew he was right. She knew now that he was right, he was certain of it, but she could sit there and be smug about the fact that there was no proof he was right.

However, it did not go as smoothly as he had planned. In his mind, he grabbed her skirt and flipped it up, giving everyone in the area a clear view of what she was wearing. She shrieked and ran off and he got away with it completely, but later he'd go up to her and smirk and say: "See, I was right." In reality, he grabbed her skirt but she moved right as he went to flip it, so she felt the tug and spun around as he attempted to throw it up. Which meant her skirt didn't really go anywhere and she was staring at him, while he still had hold of her skirt.

But that didn't mean he was going to give up proving himself right. He was going to have to give up not getting into trouble. Bellatrix's eyes flashed as if she had every intention of burying him out in the garden, but there was a mission to be had. Only thing to do was to proceed. He was going to see what she was wearing underneath that skirt no matter what.

She shrieked and grabbed a hold of her skirt, in order to prevent him, and soon they were both tugging at her skirt. In the tussle, he wasn't sure exactly how it happened, they ended up on the floor. Being bigger than she was gave him the upper hand and soon enough he had her on her back, straddling her legs. He had won. In a defiant move, he successfully pushed her skirt up enough to prove to everyone in the room that he had been correct all along, a gleam in his eye as he announced it.

His triumph ended when Bellatrix's palm connected with his nose.


	4. Chapter 4

She had been keeping a firm eye on him the entire afternoon. The way he had smirked earlier had told her all she needed to know about what his plans were. Not that she had to make much of a deduction, he was known for being loose with his hands at parties. She did not really understand why he flipped skirts, only that she needed to keep an eye on him if he was in the vicinity. Especially today. This was her party, she was the birthday girl and he was supposed to kowtow to her on this day. He should remember his place.

It was hard to keep an eye on him every second, and eventually one of her girl friends asked why she kept staring at him, taunting in a sing-song voice. Bellatrix was hardly going to accept being teased about that at her own party, giving the girl what for, reminding all of them that Rodolphus was not someone to be trusted. But that was her own downfall, it only took moments for him to appear by her side and as she took a step to bring home her point she felt a tug at her skirt. No! She had only glanced away for a moment!

She was not going to let him flip her skirt and while he tried, nothing much happened, which meant she was going to be able to prevent it. HAH! That would serve him right and everyone would see his game and all the girls would shun him because he was doing exactly what she said he would. Shrieking in anger, and in a bit of delight for having caught him, she took hold of her skirt, yanking it back as it's rightful owner. Take that Rodolphus Lestrange!

Moments later, they were on the floor, which seemed to give him an unfair advantage. Triumphantly, he pushed her skirt up, despite her best attempts to slap away his hands. His eyes shone as he announced to everyone that she was wearing ruffled underwear just as he had seen in her shoes earlier. The flames of anger and shame rushed to her cheeks. How dare he! _How dare he!_

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the shocked o of her best friend Isolde's mouth. Well, Isolde was going to have to suffer a bit more shock. No way was Lestrange getting the last laugh here. Narrowing her eyes, she made aim and the palm of her left hand snapped his head back as she rammed it into his nose.

When he looked back at her, a thin trickle of blood dribbled from his nose. Served him right.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a good party.

Up until now.

One of the adults had heard both her shrieks and the shrieks of some of the other girls and walked in to find Rodolphus sitting on top of her. Had caught her giving him a nosebleed. And, that not being seemly behavior for little girls and boys, had dragged them out of the room by their arms in order to go talk to their parents. Now, they both stood in her father's study, waiting for the shoe to drop.

Bellatrix stared at the floor. Not today, not today, she thought. It's my birthday party. If her father decided that she was at fault, there would be no more party for her. Cygnus' Black's anger never held. But it wasn't as if she could convince Rodolphus to take all the blame. (Even if she could, her pride would have prevented it.) Knowing Rodolphus, he'd put the blame on her anyhow. It just was unfair that she was going to miss her own party.

She had never hated Rodolphus more then right that instant. Him with a handkerchief to his nose, no apparent thought over the mess he had caused. Looking around for a place to sit as if he had not completely ruined her birthday. She'd punch him again if she had the opportunity. Throw every bric-a-brac in the entire room at his head. If she could control her outbursts of magic, she'd set him on fire! He deserved it.

She stared at the floor while her father started in on his lecture, his words punctuated with exclamations from Rodolphus' father. All she wanted to know was where they were going to place blame and until then only paid enough attention to nod at the correct times as if she was taking this to heart, rather than silently seething. Judging by her father's words, she would not be returning to her party.

The next time she got to see Rodolphus Lestrange he would pay as he had never paid before.

Rodolphus was hardly fazed by this talk. So what if he had been doing something he should not really have been doing. Following all the rules was boring. His father did not seem to be too mad at him. He probably would not get the new hound that he had been hoping for. At least not for a suitable time period. It had been worth it to have one up on Bellatrix.

She was acting bizarre though. He'd never seen her stare at the floor so intently. He tried to figure out what was so interesting, but couldn't figure it out. There was nothing at all intriguing on or near the floor at all. He had never seen her look so… meek.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Cygnus bellowed.

Bellatrix looked up, mouth set in a firm line. He was giving her an opportunity to defend herself? This had to be because Rodolphus and his parents were there. Only reason. It did not make her like Rodolphus any better. Anything she was likely to say would probably be ridiculed by her father later, once they had left. Out of sight of them, it would be used against her. But she also couldn't remain silent in front of Rodolphus, especially when it was _his_ fault.

"I have the right to defend myself against… lecherous little boys!" she declared, using the phrase the woman who had caught them had used. It sounded good. She turned and glared at Rodolphus for good measure. But the anger in her father's eyes when she turned back towards the adults made her swallow hard and go back to staring at the floor, biting the inside of her lip hard. Not. Fair. Not fair not fair not fair.

Rodolphus's father took over questioning, asking his son about the issue. Rodolphus shrugged. He had instigated it but he did not see what was so bad about it. He flipped her skirt, she hit him in the nose. They were even. So everything was alright. That's how it was when he played with everyone else. Why did they even care so much? Because she was a girl? She didn't act like the other girls; she was more fun then them. He didn't even mind so much she made his nose bleed. It was sort of like one of the other boys had hit it.

But he couldn't shake the behavior of Bellatrix. It was so different from her normal self. The way she held her shoulders, her intense staring at the floor. Something was wrong but he didn't know what. She'd been herself for a moment, while she was explaining, but it had been short lasted. Why? What was going on? He didn't like this Bellatrix. She didn't make _sense_.

Their fathers were discussing, muted tones he hadn't been trying to understand, because he was thinking about Bellatrix, but when he looked over he saw she was intently watching them. No, she was watching her father, but her head was still bowed. Was her father really angry with her? That seemed silly.

"I wanted to flip her skirt," he announced, and everyone in the room looked at him. "I wanted to see if she had special birthday panties on. She didn't much like that."

"You started this?" his father asked and Rodolphus nodded, adding a little shrug to the end of it. He still didn't understand that it was a big deal.

"Bellatrix was only defending herself?" Cygnus Black asked.

Rodolphus nodded again and then decided to elaborate. "I was just going for a bit of fun and she made it really hard for me. All that flailing and squirming." He rolled his eyes as if had really frustrated him and continued on matter-of-fact-like, "That's when she hit my nose."

"It was an accident," Bellatrix supplied, staring at him with wide eyes. "I just wanted to keep my skirt down."

"Is that true Rodolphus? You don't have to lie for my daughter."

Rodolphus scoffed, "I wouldn't lie for her. You have my word as a Lestrange that this is the truth."

"Well then, Cygnus, it appears I need to take my son home to discuss how to behave around young ladies. Rodolphus, apologize to Bellatrix."

Rodolphus turned to the girl and followed his father's instructions, studying her face the entire time. She seemed more like herself again, back to scrutinizing him, her eyebrows narrowed. He didn't know exactly what had happened but he was satisfied she wasn't behaving so strangely anymore. After he finished, his parents came over to collect and take him home, saying their goodbyes to the Blacks, and apologizing for him again.

As they left, he heard Mr. Black instruct Bella she could return to her party and seconds later she rushed through the doors and back towards the other children. She seemed to be in a hurry.

Bellatrix could not believe what had happened. Couldn't help smiling at how she had avoided punishment. Rodolphus Lestrange had spun the incident to sounding like it was all his fault and she had been appropriately defending herself, like any respectable girl would. He hadn't even paid attention while their fathers were ranting. Why he had done this, she had no idea. But she would not have to miss her party, although she wasn't wasting any time in getting back to it, just in case her father changed his mind. No sense in sticking around to tempt fate. Why had he done that for her? It did not make any sense. It had been clear to her that his father did not particularly care about the incident.

Maybe, _just maybe_, Rodolphus Lestrange was not the worst person in the world.


End file.
